


Honey and Vinegar

by MissKatieLynne



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Asexual Character, Gen, Nonbinary Character, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-13 08:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10510533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissKatieLynne/pseuds/MissKatieLynne
Summary: Pip was always the odd fairy out. They did not enjoy living in the forests and they did not particularly excel in magic. In fact, if it weren’t for their purple body and glittery wings, Pip couldn’t have been less of a fairy, which made leaving the protection of Stardew Valley a seemingly easy decision. But, the truth was, living amongst the judgmental humans in the city was just as challenging. If it wasn’t the purple skin and wings that turned people away, it was Pip’s awkward and rather introverted personality. And when Pip wasn’t saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, they were tripping over their own two feet and making the worst of any situation.So when Rasmodius asked Pip to return to Stardew Valley, Pip was less than enthusiastic to return as the outcast fairy, but eager to have a chance to leave the city which was no better for them. That is, until Rasmodius came to Pip with a proposition: to help him return Pelican Town to the town it once was. And that only meant that Pip would have to prove their worth as a member of the community, working with the Junimos, the humans they were afraid of, and the other fairies left in the valley to save the town from turning into a metropolitan.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Also includes my own headcanons on fairies. Pip, along with the other fairies in the story, are non-binary and asexual. This varies from fairy to fairy, as some could be romantically involved, but for the sake of reproduction, fairies do not reproduce the same way humans do. This will be explained in a later chapter, so I'll leave those details for then, but I just thought I would list some of this here for anyone who is interested on how I am approaching this fic since fairies aren't really talked about much in game.

Pip looked out across the over grown landscape of Star Haven Farm. The farm had been abandoned for many years, and with no one to keep up with it, it was, frankly, a disaster. Pip sighed and began to question why they ever agreed to move back to the valley. They thought it would be good to be back home and out of the city, but after being at the farm for only a couple of days, they were starting to think that the wizard’s proposition was impossible. 

Stardew Valley wouldn’t be the quaint, quiet valley the humans wanted it to be forever. The valley had a lot going for it, and with the arrival of the JoJa Corporation, it was starting to become more well known in the world. Tourists had been in and out of the valley for some time, and it wouldn’t be long before vacation homes and luxury hotels made their mark on the land.

And what was so wrong with that, anyway? It would provide a lot of income for Pelican Town and for its residents. It would give them a chance to expand, add more businesses, bring in more goods and services; like cable and internet. Dear Yoba, hadn’t these people heard of WiFi? And those dirt roads; it was no wonder there weren’t many cars around: they couldn’t get them to drive all those damned pot holes. Yoba knew that Pelican Town was due for a total make over. Why were these humans so unwilling to let the town change and grow with the rest of the world?

Pip turned and looked up at the old cabin on the edge of the property. Pip wanted nothing to do with the valley. They never fit in, anyway. Not even with their own kind, never mind those Yoba awful judgmental humans that lived in town. The wizard wanted their help in keeping the tourists and city goers out of the valley, but Pip was starting to realize that they signed up for a job they didn’t believe in. And a job that was clearly impossible. How in the hell were they supposed to get this farm up and running again, anyway?

Star Haven Farm was certainly not a haven. Not for Pip, and certainly not for anyone in the valley. It was only a reminder of failure to the people of Pelican Town. The farm represented nothing but a torn family and opposite ideals. And, eventually, when there was no one left to claim ownership, it fell into disarray, only to be pushed onto Pip with some hope that their dying ways could be revived.

What was with these damned humans? Why were they so stubborn all the Yoba-damned time?

A rustling interrupted Pip from their thoughts. They turned, peering down the dirt road as a young woman meandered through the trees. Pip noticed the strange, purple hair first, then the strong features of the woman the hair belonged to. Their eyes met for a moment and the woman stopped dead in her tracks, a look of surprise on her face.

“Oh,” she started. “I’m sorry. I… I didn’t know anyone moved in here.”

Pip shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I did,” they said simply.

“Oh.” She looked Pip up and down quickly and offered a smile. “Cool. Well, I’m Abigail.”

Pip, too, looked her up and down, then shrugged again and turned back to look at the house. “Pip.”

“This place has been empty for so long,” Abigail continued. “I’ve been coming out here to explore and just get away.” She looked around and shrugged. “Guess I can’t do that anymore.”

Pip did their best not to roll their eyes. They really weren’t interested in having any kind of conversation with anyone in town. “I don’t care what you do,” they said. “This place is a dump, anyway.”

Abigail hesitated. “So, why did you move in?”

“Someone asked me to fix it up.” Pip turned back to Abigail, hoping that their short answers would be enough of a clue for the girl to leave.

“Where did you live before?” Abigail asked curiously. “I didn’t think there was anyone left to inherit the place.”

“There wasn’t,” Pip said. “I used to live in the valley before I moved into the city.”

“Oh.” Abigail’s brows knit together. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“Because I’m a fairy,” Pip said, now clearly irritated with her presence and her cluelessness. “In case that wasn’t obvious. We don’t make it a habit of being well known.”

Abigail smiled, seemingly unfazed by Pip’s reaction. “I didn’t know fairies still existed,” she said. “I mean, of course you’d be here, in the valley.”

“Is there something you want?” Pip asked flatly, crossing their arms. “In case you haven’t noticed, I apparently have a lot of work to do here for no damn reason at all.”

This, finally, gave Pip the reaction they were looking for. Abigail’s brows knit together angrily at the way she had been spoken to. “What’s your problem?” she snapped at Pip.

Pip had started to regret the outburst, but then again, they were never very good in social situations, anyway. Perhaps it was better off to seem like a jerk so the humans would just leave them alone. Pip was good at being alone. It was always better that way.

“Besides being uprooted from my home and forced to save some stupid farm that no human will appreciate? Nothing. No problem at all.”

Abigail rolled her eyes and stormed off. “Whatever,” she muttered, loud enough for Pip to hear.

Pip’s rigid form loosened as soon as Abigail was out of sight. That wasn’t exactly the first impression they wanted to make, but they never had much luck with humans, anyway. Humans were rude, disgusting, and judgmental; Pip already knew that. So what did it matter what kind of impression they made? Pip was the outcast - always had been, and always would be. Despite accepting that fact, a part of them wanted to find acceptance. A part of them wanted to be the fairy they were supposed to be.

And a proper fairy would at least have alcohol on hand. Pip was at least good at that. But getting alcohol meant one of two things: going to the saloon in town, or making it themselves. Going to the saloon was obviously out of the question, which only meant that Pip would need to start clearing some land in order to get their own brewery of sorts going. A garden would need to be made for growing grapes and hops, and a shed would need to be built where they could make beers and ales and wines.

Mayor Lewis had introduced Pip to Robin, who was apparently good at that sort of thing. Pip, for sure, was not good with tools. Asking Robin for help was likely something that Pip could not avoid, but Robin seemed decent enough, and all Pip really needed was a shed. That shouldn’t take Robin long at all.

Pip put their hands on their hips and looked back over the farm’s land. It was a lot of work for a little bit of alcohol, but it was something to do on this rotting farm, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

After their less than ideal interaction with Abigail, Pip opted to stay hidden on the farm. They spent the next few days clearing the land, which consisted of tossing rocks into the nearby forest, stopping to snack, pulling some weeds, stopping to chase after a butterfly, kicking at a larger rock when they tripped over it, cursing at the rock when they stubbed their toe, and getting tangled up in some bushes only to roll away in the dirt, defeated. This farming thing was just not what Pip had expected.

It wasn’t long before Pip had another unexpected visitor. This time from a homely looking woman with curly brown locks that would have made her very pretty if it weren’t so… messy. Her overall appearance seemed messy, and it made her look older. Yet something seemed to suggest she wasn’t as old as she appeared.

Pip certainly wasn’t one to judge, but they had to force a smile as the woman approached in case she read any of these thoughts on Pip’s face. The woman, however, seemed not to notice.

“Hi there,” she said as she approached. “Uh, Mayor Lewis mentioned someone new had moved in.” She turned and pointed south of the farm, towards the forest. “I live on the ranch just down there,” she said. She turned back and held a hand out. “My name’s Marnie.”

Pip took the woman’s hand and offered one, short shake. “Pip,” they said simply.

“Nice to meet you, Pip,” she said, offering a warm smile. “I hope you’re settling in well?”

Pip hesitated, looking around the farm. “I’m not much of a farmer,” they admitted. “But, yeah, you know, I’m settled.”

“Well,” Marnie started. “If you need any help with anything, you know where I am. I sell a few supplies in the shop and have some animals for sale if you’re interested in getting some critters here. Every farm needs some animals.”

Admittedly, Pip was not much of a fan of animals. They were big and intimidating, to say the least.

“Or, you know,” Marnie started, hesitant, reading the look of fear on Pip’s face. “You don’t need any animals.” She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “What do you plan on doing here, anyway?”

Pip shrugged and continued to look around the farm. “Well, us fairies are known for our love of alcohol,” they said. “I was thinking of trying out some of my own recipes.”

“My nephew, Shane, will just love you,” Marnie said with a grin. “He’s a bit of an alcohol fanatic, too.” Her smile disappeared for a moment and she grew quiet. Pip watched as a flash of pain seemed to cross Marnie’s face before she smiled again. “The saloon in town keeps pretty busy at night. I’m sure Gus would love to have something from you on tap.”

Pip shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Well, if you need some strong arms around here,” Marnie continued. “Come get Shane or I. We’ll be happy to help you out.”

“I got it,” Pip said, more defensively than they meant it to be. They didn’t want to look like a total failure to these people. “Thanks,” they added quickly. “I’ll let you know if I do.”

Pip watched as Marnie made her way back home, waving goodbye quickly over her shoulder before she disappeared into the woods. Pip sighed and sat on the large rock that was still stuck in the ground. Maybe they could work around the rock. It wasn’t too inconveniently placed, anyway. Besides, they only needed enough space cleared for some crops. Pip certainly didn’t plan on clearing all of the land. There was no need for barns for animals, that was for sure.

Pip got back to their feet and looked around at their progress. Most of the space around the cabin had been cleared. Pip cocked their head to the side as they tried to envision the farm. They could build a shed right beside the old green house (and get that fixed up, too) and plant crops in the space in front of the shed and green house. That would make everything easily accessible and would save Pip from trecking across the farm every day. Then, they wouldn’t have to clear anything else. It wasn’t worth the frustration, anyway. It was already going to be a lot to keep up with, between the crops, the aging, the brewing - what had they gotten themselves into?

Pip looked up into the sky. It was still early in the day. They weren’t particularly eager to get back to work, but with nothing else to do, Pip eventually began weeding and pulling rocks up once more. By the end of the week, they guessed, they would have enough land clear to begin planting crops for the spring season.

It wasn’t long, however, before another curious visitor made their way to the farm, much to Pip’s dismay. Why did humans always feel a need to intrude on others? If Pip wanted to make friends with the locals, than they’d be in town doing just that.

Pip couldn’t be too upset at the little girl, though, as she made her way carefully to the stranger. She smiled and watched Pip for a moment. Pip ignored the girl as they pulled up some more weeds and tossed them to the side into a wheelbarrow. 

“Are you really a fairy?” the girl finally asked. Her eyes were wide and bright as she looked at Pip.

Pip sat back on their heels and finally acknowledged the girl. Was it not obvious enough by the purple skin and wings? Pip sighed and bit their tongue. “Yes. I’m a fairy.”

“Aunt Marnie said you were!” she said excitedly. “Shane said fairies don’t exist anymore, but I knew he was wrong!”

Pip stood and brushed off their pants. “Well, we do exist,” the said, forcing a small smile to the girl.

“I knew it,” she said, a little softer this time. “Can you do magic and stuff?”

Pip shrugged. “A little bit, yeah. I’ve never been very good at it, though.”

“Did you know a wizard lives here?” she said, the enthusiasm still pouring out of her. “I bet he could teach you some stuff.”

“I know the wizard,” Pip said with a slight tone of annoyance. The girl did not pick up on this.

“He has purple hair, just like me! And you are purple, too!”

“What a coincident,” Pip said flatly.

“I bet that means I’m like, a witch or a fairy or something, too.”

“Does Marnie know you’re here?” Pip asked, an eyebrow raised.

This seemed to catch the girl off guard. “Uh, um, no,” she stuttered. “Not really.”

“You’re probably not supposed to be talking to strangers, right?”

The excitement was completely gone from her face now. The girl seemed uneasy. “No, I’m not,” she said softly. “But, no one here is a stranger. I know everyone that lives here.”

“You don’t know me,” Pip pointed out.

The girl smiled. “What’s your name?” she asked, happy to have seemingly found a loop hole. Pip couldn’t be a stranger if they got to know each other.

Pip sighed. “My name is Pip.”

“My name is Jas,” she said happily. “Now we’re not strangers!”

“Look,” Pip said. “I have a lot of work to do here, and you should probably get home before your aunt gets worried.”

Jas’s smile disappeared for a moment. “Okay,” she said. The smile returned. “Can I come back and visit tomorrow?”

Pip sighed and returned to pulling weeds out of the ground. “I don’t know. Maybe. Only if it’s okay with your aunt Marnie.” Maybe, if Pip was lucky, Marnie would say no to the little girl.

Jas didn’t seem to think so, however. She jumped up and down excitedly before taking off across the farm. “Bye, Pip!” she called over her shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite Pip’s earlier reluctance to returning to Stardew Valley, after being back for a week, most of the land they wanted to clear was, in fact, cleared. Pip never imagined actually completing all that work, but by the weekend, the job was done, and they were feeling, for once, proud of themselves for sticking with it. But, with that now finished, that only meant one thing: venturing into town to get some seeds and ask Robin to build a shed.

Pip supposed it was inevitable, really. If they didn’t make an appearance, it was only a matter of time before more curious eyes wandered over onto their property. Abigail, Marnie, and Jas had already done so. And though there was talk of another referred to as Shane, he never made it over to say hello, and Pip was grateful for that. But who knew how many more of them waited just on the other side of the dirt road.

So on Sunday morning, after much hemming and hawing and wasting time, Pip finally worked up the courage to walk into town to get seeds. And maybe while they were there, they’d stop in at the saloon, too. Making alcohol was fine, but it was a slow process, and Pip couldn’t wait much longer for a cold one.

It was late in the morning as Pip made their way into Pelican Town. The air was warm, the sun was bright, and overall it was the perfect day… for everyone to be outside and enjoying the day, of course. Fortunately, the town’s general store was close by. Pip was relieved that they wouldn’t have to walk across town to get to JoJa Mart.

Lewis stood outside as Pip approached. He offered Pip a nod and a smile. “Settling in alright?” he asked.

Pip shrugged. “I guess so.”

“I haven’t seen you around. Wasn’t sure if you got lost on that farm there.”

“Lots of clearing to do,” Pip said, disinterested in the conversation with Lewis.

Lewis nodded. “Yes, of course.” He pulled lightly at his suspenders. “It has gotten to be quite over grown. I’m glad to see you’re getting use out of the place, though. I told Gus of your plans to make some craft beers. I think you’ve definitely got a buyer if you ever plan to sell. We’ve got a few loyal saloon goers who I’m sure would appreciate a home made ale.”

“Well, I’ll do what I can,” Pip said quickly. They looked over Lewis’s shoulder and into the window of the store. “Gotta get some supplies…”

“Ah, of course.” Lewis stepped aside, even though he wasn’t exactly blocking the entrance. “Don’t let me get in your way now.”

Pip offered a small smile and made their way inside. To their dismay, however, the store was not empty. Pip immediately recognized Abigail standing by the counter at the back of the store, talking quietly to a man in glasses who Pip assumed to be Pierre, the owner of the store. A red headed women with her hair pulled into a braid was looking over some items, turning to smile at Pip as they entered. Another woman with green hair was just passing through. She, too, shot a smile towards Pip as she headed for the door in the back. She spoke quietly to Abigail and Pierre before closing the door behind her.

Pip sheepishly made their way to the counter. Pierre offered a greeting, but Abigail rolled her eyes and followed the path of the green haired women, leaving the store through the back door.

“You’re Pip, right?” Pierre asked with a grin. “Mayor Lewis told me you would probably be by at some point. Welcome to the valley.”

“Thanks,” Pip muttered.

“Abigail told me you two met earlier in the week.” Pierre hesitated, his gaze shifting to the door. “I must apologize for her rude behavior. She’s never been much of a people-person.”

“It’s fine,” Pip said quickly. “I guess I’m not really, either.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here, anyway. That farm has been empty for so long. It’s nice to see someone getting some use out of it.”

“I guess so,” Pip said with a shrug.

“I’m guessing you’re not here for chit-chat, though,” Pierre said with a grin. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Just some seeds,” Pip said.

“All our spring seeds are in stock,” Pierre said cheerfully. He indicated to a display where the seed packets were kept. “What are you gonna be growing?”

“I’m not much of a farmer,” Pip admitted. “But I’m pretty good at making ales and wines.” Pip selected a few packets of seeds. There wasn’t much that would help, but they could at least make a few good wines with some strawberries. The rest would need to wait until summer. Hops and wheat did best when started in the summer.

Pierre nodded thoughtfully. “Nothing wrong with that,” he said. “We’ve got quite a few -”

“Alcoholics,” Pip said with a nod. “So I’ve been told.”

Pierre hesitated. “Well, I was going to say loyal saloon goers…”

“I heard that one, too.” Pip turned and let the packets of seeds drop onto the counter for Pierre to ring out. “I’m a bit of an alcohol fan, too.” Pip offered a smile.

Pierre rang out the items and put them carefully into a paper bag. “Well, I wish you luck, then,” he said as he offered Pip the bag. “Don’t be a stranger. I’ll keep the place in stock as much as possible, so whatever you need, just come on by.”

“Thanks,” Pip said, taking the bag from him. Pip forced another small smile before turning to make their way out of the store. The young, red headed woman, however, stopped them before Pip reached the door.

“You know,” she said, her hands on her hips. “I’m practically your neighbor. I live just south of you, in the forest, near Marnie’s ranch. So don’t think you can go hiding all that sweet wine you’re making. It’s appropriate to share with your good neighbors.”

Pip stared blankly at the woman for a moment. “Oh,” they said softly. “Uh. Okay. Sure. You can taste the first batch.”

The woman smiled. “Good. I’m Leah, by the way.” She held out a hand.

Pip took her hand, shaking it carefully. “Pip.”

“Okay, then, Pip,” Leah said with a grin. “Let me know when you need a taste tester. Remember - I’m in the cabin near Marnie’s ranch. Don’t forget.”

*****

Pip couldn’t get out of the shop quick enough, and once outside, they kept their eyes low as they scurried around the building, following the path north up to where Lewis had said Robin’s place was. Fortunately, there wasn’t really anyone else up this way, and Pip made it to Robin’s without incident. 

Robin was sitting behind the counter of her shop, doodling on some paper when Pip entered. She looked up and smiled at Pip.

“I was starting to wonder if you’d ever need my services,” she said happily. “What are you thinking? A chicken coop? Maybe something bigger? I could even get you a silo built for some hay -”

“No,” Pip said quickly. “Uh, no, thank you. I don’t think I’m ready for any animals yet.” Pip sucked in a breath. “I was actually wondering if you could build me a shed and maybe help me with a few other things.”

“What have you got in mind?” Robin asked curiously.

“I was thinking of getting some bees,” Pip explained. “I want to make some beer and wines and ales, so I’ll need some kegs and casks, too.”

“Ah,” Robin said. She waved a hand towards Pip. “That’s easy stuff. Tell ya what; you get the supplies I need,” Robin began jotting down some notes on some scrap paper, “And I’ll be by tomorrow morning to help you out with everything.” She looked up and smiled as she handed Pip the paper.

Pip looked it over quickly. It looked pretty simple. “Thanks,” Pip said, meeting Robin’s gaze. “I appreciate it.”

Robin leaned against the counter, her smile getting wider. “Of course,” she said. “I don’t get to do too much around here, so I’m always happy to help out where I can.” She tapped her pencil on the counter. “See you tomorrow morning, then.” She returned to her doodle on the counter.

“Thanks again,” Pip said as they left Robin alone in the shop.

Back outside, Pip opted to avoid going back into town. They followed the path behind Robin’s which would eventually bring them back around to the north end of the farm. But, of course, not without bumping into one more human.

Pip didn’t even notice the man at first. With their head down and eyes low, they almost bumped into him. Pip looked up only when the man sighed gruffly, muttering under his breath.

“I’m sorry?” Pip said, turning to the man.

“Please just leave me alone,” the man said, averting his gaze.

“I… I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry…” Pip stammered.

The man hesitated, looking Pip up and down. “You’re new around here.”

Pip nodded. “Uh, yeah. I’m Pip. I moved into the old farm.”

The man nodded. “Well, Pip. I live there.” He pointed to a tent between some bushes. “And I would appreciate it if you just left me and my tent alone.”

Pip hesitated. “Why… why would I bother you or your tent…”

The man shrugged. “Because people are cruel and somebody’s been screwing around with my tent, and I don’t appreciate it.”

Pip looked over the little tent. “I wouldn’t do that,” Pip said softly. “I’m… sorry that’s been happening to you.”

The man grunted. “I don’t need your pity,” he snapped.

Pip turned their gaze back to the dirt road, feeling uncomfortable. Clearly anything they said to this man would be twisted in some way, and Pip was in no mood to be able to handle that. So, without another word, Pip continued onward quickly, feeling the eye’s of the man on their back until they disappeared around the corner.

For once, Pip felt a sense of relief when they made it back to the farm. Finally, they were alone once more, away from the judging, staring eyes. Exhausted from the few minutes spent in town, Pip hurried into the house where they stayed for the rest of the day.


	4. Chapter 4

Pip was up early on Monday morning, more eager than they expected to be to get to work on the farm. It was hard to imagine that they were starting to like this farming thing. Maybe they were just grateful to have something to do in this Yoba forsaken town.

Pip got right to work, digging up the land in preparation for the seeds. They marked out the exact area they wanted for growing and began tilling the ground. It was later in the morning when Robin arrived, and Pip was just finished with the grunt work. All they needed to do was sow the seeds and water the soil.

Robin dropped her toolbox onto the ground carefully and put her hands on her hips as she admired Pip’s work. “It’s really coming along, huh?” she said with a grin. “If you ask nicely, maybe I can help you get some sprinklers set up, too, to save you from hauling water and hoses around.”

Pip’s smile wasn’t so forced this time. In fact, they were thankful for Robin’s help. Strangely enough, her company didn’t seem to be so intrusive. “Next you’ll have robots harvesting everything for me and I’ll have nothing left to do.”

Robin laughed lightly. “You know, my daughter Maru is pretty hand at those robotic things. Don’t mention anything to her or she’ll have this whole place running on auto. Unless you’d rather sit back and relax.”

Pip shook their head. “I prefer the work, actually,” they admitted. “There’s nothing else to do around here.” Pip checked Robin’s expression carefully, but she didn’t seem to take offense to the statement. Instead, she laughed again.  
“I’d be lying if I said otherwise,” she admitted. “But if you give it a chance, I think you’ll find it’s pretty nice here.”

“I used to live here,” Pip said. “In the forest. You know, with the fairies.”

“Hm. Right.” Robin nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”

Pip raised a brow. “Because I have purple skin and wings?”

“Ah, that must be it.” She smiled. “You’ve become the talk of the town, you know. No one knew fairies still existed.”

Pip turned away uncomfortably. “Well, we do,” they muttered. “We don’t make a habit of interacting with humans.”

“So, why now?” Robin asked curiously.

Pip shrugged. “A favor for a friend, I guess.” Not that Rasmodius was much of a friend to them. “He’s just trying to breathe new life into this place.”

Robin nodded. “This place could sure use it,” she said. “So, where do you want this shed, then?” She fished some papers out of her back pocket. “I brought some blueprints, too, for making some hives and what not.” She handed the papers to Pip with a smile.

“Thanks,” Pip said, returning Robin’s smile. “I was thinking here, beside this old greenhouse.”

Robin looked up and down, examining the area Pip pointed out to her. “Looks good to me. I could probably help you fix this greenhouse up too sometime.” She took out a tape measure and began to measure out some... measurements.

“I’ll let you get to it, then,” Pip said.

Robin smiled over her shoulder. “Leave it to me. I’ll get this shed built in no time.”

Pip returned to their own work and gathered the seeds they purchased the day before. Before long, Pip fell into a meditative rhythm, putting the seeds in the soil, measured just far enough apart, and filling the holes around them, all while Robin hammered away as she built the shed. When the seeds were sown, Pip dragged the old hose over to water the soil. They let the water rain down gently so as not to soak and drown the tiny seeds.

Pip was lost in thought as they watered, brought out only when a small, familiar voice spoke from beside them.

“Whatta you growin’, Pip?” Jas asked, looking up into their eyes with her own curious gaze.

“Some strawberries,” Pip said without turning to the girl.

“I like strawberries,” Jas said with a grin.

“You know,” Pip started. “It’s rude to come over without an invitation.”

Jas’s smile disappeared quickly. “Oh.”

Pip turned to the girl and smiled reassuringly. They couldn’t blame the little girl for being curious, really. “It’s okay,” Pip said softly. “I don’t mind.”

Jas’s smile returned, brighter than ever. “Are there more fairies like you?” she asked.

Pip shrugged. “Yeah, there are. But they don’t like to be bothered. Humans have never been very kind to us, so we stay hidden from them.”

Once more, Jas’s smile faded. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Pip said with a slight sigh. “Humans don’t usually like things that are... different.”

“I like that you’re different.” Jas smiled again. “You’re different like me.”

“Sure,” Pip said. “Something like that, I guess.”

“Everyone here is really nice,” Jas continued. “I bet they’ll all be nice to you.”

“Maybe,” Pip muttered as they turned their attention back to their watering.

“If everyone here is nice, are you gonna tell the other fairies? So they don’t have to hide from us?”

“I don’t know, Jas,” Pip said. “Sure, maybe. We’ll see.”

Jas watched the water fall carefully onto the soil. “How come you’re here and not hiding?”

Pip hesitated. “I don’t know,” they muttered. “A favor for a friend, I guess.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Jas said, meeting Pip’s gaze with a smile. “You must be brave. Will you come into town sometime? You should meet Miss Penny. She’s the nicest of them all.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Jas nodded enthusiastically. “She teaches us all kinds of stuff,” Jas said. “Me and Vincent. You should meet Vincent, too. I told him about you but he doesn’t believe me.”

“Oh, well...”

“Shane says I should stay away from you, but he’s just a big grump all the time.”

“Oh... Well, maybe -”

“Aunt Marnie says it’s just because he’s sad a lot.” Jas finally paused for a moment. “Can you make him happy with your magic?”

Pip hesitated and bit the corner of their lip. They turned to Jas and forced a smile. “Uh, maybe.” In truth, Pip could do nothing of the sort. They weren’t even sure that that was something a trained wizard like Rasmodius could do. But there was no sense in breaking a little girl’s heart. “Don’t you have... something to do today?”

Jas shrugged. “I’m supposed to be with Miss Penny, but I snuck away to see you.”

Pip’s brows knit together. “That’s not okay,” Pip said to Jas. “You can’t just go running -”

At that moment, a voice barked from the road at Jas. Pip turned anxiously to see a petite, red headed woman, a young boy, and a very grumpy looking man, who had to be none other than Shane.

Jas, however, was unfazed by their presence. She waved cheerfully towards them, making no attempt to move away from Pip.

Pip, however, shied away, stepping to the side away from Jas in an attempt to become invisible, with no such luck.

“I told you to stay away from here,” Shane growled to Jas. His angry gaze flashed over Pip for a moment, but Pip did not make an attempt to acknowledge them.

“But, Shane,” Jas whined.

“Next time, Aunt Marnie’s walking you all the way to the library,” Shane said, taking her hand. “Clearly you can’t be trusted.”

Jas looked over her shoulder at Pip with a grin, waving her hand as Shane lead her away, but Pip ignored her. When they were gone, Pip let out a loud sigh.

“Don’t let him bother you,” Robin said as she dusted her hands together. She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.

Pip jumped, almost forgetting that Robin was still there.

“He gets pretty protective of Jas sometimes. But she’s a good kid. They all mean well, hm?”

“Sure,” Pip muttered. “I’d just rather not step on any toes.”

“Nonsense,” Robin said. “Give them a chance. I think you’ll find we’re not as bad as you think we are.” She smiled and winked at Pip. “We’re better than those people in the city, anyway.”

Pip blushed slightly, unaware that so much had been revealed in their short conversation with Jas. “Maybe,” they muttered.

“No pressure,” Robin said casually as she returned to her work on the shed, which was now the bones of a structure.

Pip turned off the hose and stared at the moist soil. They never made it to the saloon from the day before, and any chance that that would happen just went out the window. They pulled the blueprints out of their pocket. Perhaps, instead, they would work on building some hives for bees. Honey would be needed if they wanted a good mead.


	5. Chapter 5

By midweek, the shed was complete, and Pip had built themselves a few beehives, which were now home to hundreds of little bees, working happily behind the house where Pip tended to some flowers. They spent their mornings watering the crops and tending to the flowers and hives. After lunch, Pip put together a few kegs and casks and prepped their newly built shed for brewing.

But after finishing this morning’s chores, and with the shed finished and ready to go, Pip found themselves twiddling their thumbs on the front steps in the afternoon. Except for Robin coming by earlier to make sure Pip was happy with the shed, no one else had ventured over. Maybe Abigail told everyone what a jerk Pip was.

Pip sighed as they looked out over the farm. They knew that, sooner or later, there wouldn’t be as much to do on the farm and could no longer use that as an excuse to stay out of town. That time had come, and unless Pip was going to twiddle their thumbs all day, they would need to find something to do.

Pip opted to venture through the forest. It had been some time since they had been there, and it wasn’t town, so bumping into any of the townsfolk wouldn’t be an issue. Fairies, however, was another story. Pip would surely find the other fairies that lived there. And while that was a better alternative than interacting with the humans, Pip still felt nervous about seeing them all again. It had been years, after all, since Pip’s abrupt departure.

Pip made their way across the farm and towards the southern forest. They recognized the old ranch that belonged to Marnie. She had clearly expanded since Pip was there last. Cows and goats and chickens wandered around in their paddocks.

As Pip walked deeper into the forest, Pip found Leah’s cabin, which was not there when Pip was living in the valley, suggesting that Leah was a more recent resident. Pip began to wonder who else had moved into town after they left, finding it strange that anyone would want to move here in the first place.

To Pip’s relief, no one was out and about, wandering the forest, which meant that Pip could lose themselves easily as they made their way to the Secret Forest. Despite the fact that they hadn’t been there in years, Pip easily remembered the way as if they had walked their every single day of their life.

As Pip neared the forest, the trees grew thicker, preventing the afternoon sun’s rays from penetrating the leaves. The crickets and birds chirped loudly and the forest critters scurried about, darting through trees and into the brush. The air had gotten much cooler, the sweet scent of pine filling Pip’s nose as hundreds of memories came rushing back.

Before long, the dense forest thinned to reveal a clearing where tall grass sparkled with dew under the sunlight. Wild flowers peppered the scenery as far as they eye could see, even disappearing into the forest on the other side of the clearing. In the distance, Pip recognized they little huts where some of the other fairies resided. The huts dotted the edge of the distant forest and some were even nestled high up in the trees.

“Pip?” The voice was faint and small. It sounded weary, but Pip recognized right away the tiny flapping of wings. Pip looked up as an elder pixie flew gracefully towards them. Pip held out a hand where the pixie landed.

“I guess the rumors were true,” the pixie said to Pip.

Pip smiled sheepishly. “That I’m back in the valley?”

The pixie put their hands on their hips. “That you’ve gotten fat.”

Pip laughed, feeling slightly more at ease in the presence of their old friend. “Thanks, Rem,” Pip said. They looked around the clearing, recognizing many flowers that had yet to blossom. “Busy spring?”

Rem sighed. “I’ll say.” They turned and followed Pip’s gaze. “We always get so many pixies. Before you know it, they’ll be running this forest.”

“So, it’s true, then?” Pip asked.

Rem turned to Pip, their expression serious. “Seems so,” Rem said. “There won’t be room for the rest of us. Soon, it’ll just be the pixies and nymphs, and you know how that will go.”

“Imps,” Pip muttered. Imps were hardly a problem, but with an over population of pixies and nymphs, they could become a serious problem. It seemed that Rasmodius had every reason to worry. With Stardew Valley becoming over run with tourists and turning into a metropolis, their would be no room for the fairies, like Pip. With just the nymphs and pixies left, they would likely grow mischievous, and the fate of the valley would come to an even quicker end until no magical beings remained. They would do this to themselves.

Pip sighed. “I didn’t realize it was that bad,” they muttered. Despite Pip’s past with the fairies and in Stardew Valley, the future of the magical was bleak. Never for a moment did they imagine it had come to complete extinction. 

Rem climbed up Pip’s arm and onto their shoulder as Pip moved out into the clearing some more. Pip got to their knees and examined one of the little flowers that had yet to open.

“How are the others?” Pip asked. They let a finger brush against the flower. It was warm. They would be opening any day, now.

“Same sorry bunch as ever,” Rem said with a grunt. Rem turned to Pip with a smile. “Are you going to say hello?”

Pip shrugged and almost knocked Rem off their feet in doing so. “Maybe.”

Rem steadied themselves on Pip’s shoulder. “They’ll be happy to see you,” they said. Rem pushed off of Pip’s shoulder, taking flight. Without another word, Rem disappeared in the wild flowers to check in on the buds as they always did.

Pip wandered across the clearing and to the edge of the forest. They followed the path deeper in where the huts grew in numbers. Fairies like Pip wandered around the forest, barely glancing in their direction as Pip walked through. Young fairies chased each other around the trees in a game of tag while some of the older ones continued about their day with their usual chores.

Pip knew this forest like the back of their hand, and before long, they found themselves on the path towards the blossoming zone. The trees here were much larger; their branches were covered in thick, dark green leaves which umbrellaed over the forest, shrouding it in darkness.

Larger, closed buds lined some of the branches, while others were scattered across the forest floor. Pip bent down to touch one, but it was much cooler than the tiny wild flower in the clearing.

“You missed the spring babies,” a voice said. A human sized fairy, much like Pip but with pale green skin and emerald hair, hopped down from one of the tree branches. They smiled as Pip approached.

“Fall?” Pip asked simply.

The fairy sighed. “I hope so. An early fall, likely.” They turned to look over the buds. “They get fewer and fewer every year.”

Pip nodded. “I talked to Rem. They told me about the pixies and nymphs. I didn’t know it was like this.”

The fairy turned away. “You wouldn’t know,” they said. “How could you?”

Pip knew they were angry. Betrayed was more like it. “I’m sorry, Liv,” Pip muttered. Pip looked around, hoping to change the topic. “Where’s Meddie?”

Clearly, this was a bad topic to change from. Liv looked to Pip with wet eyes. “Why did you leave, Pip?”

Pip hesitated. “I… I just thought… You -”

“Don’t tell me I wouldn’t understand,” Liv barked. “You left, and Meddie died, and now I’m expected to just take care of all these babies…” Liv sobbed. “I can’t do it, Pip. We were supposed to do this together.”

Pip averted their gaze. “Liv, I’m sorry. How could I have known?”

“You could have stayed,” Liv said. “Like you’re supposed to.”

“I don’t belong here,” Pip muttered. “Don’t try to pretend I’m like every other fairy here. They made sure to remind me that every day. They’re all the reason I left.”

“You’re selfish, Pip,” Liv hissed.

“You try being the winter born fairy that can’t even cast a damn spell,” Pip barked. “Do you know how I was looked at? I can’t bless crops, cast a spell, make a potion. I can barely friggen fly.”

Liv turned away angrily. “It’s all about you, Pip. It always was.”

“That’s it,” Pip snarled. “That’s exactly it. You’re right. I don’t know why I bothered to come back. You’re just proving my point. I don’t belong here.”

Pip watched as Liv fluttered away, high into the tree branches. Pip kicked at a rock, watching as it bounced against a tree, then turned away and left the forest without looking back.


	6. Chapter 6

Pip was in a less than stellar mood when they returned from the forest. They wanted nothing more than to slink back to the farm and hide in the cabin for the next year. Of course, that luck was not on their side and they ran into Penny, Jas, and Vincent playing near the lake.

“Hi, Pip!” Jas shouted. She waved excitedly before trotting up to Pip’s side. “Whattar you doin’?”

“Going home,” Pip mumbled. Despite being eager to get away, they stopped walking as Jas approached. Pip looked up towards Penny, expecting to be met with a glare similar to Shane’s earlier stare. Penny, however, greeted Pip with a warm, wordless smile as their eyes met.

“What were you doin’ in the woods?” Jas asked.

“Taking a walk.”

“Miss Penny’s teaching us about tadpoles.” Jas was clearly excited by this topic. “They grow legs and turn into frogs and frogs lay hundreds of little eggs.”

“That’s interesting,” Pip said in an attempt to seem genuine, though it may have fell flatly. Jas, however, did not seem to notice.

“Vincent tries to catch frogs and take them home,” Jas continued. “But Miss Penny doesn’t like it when he does that because they belong out here. This is where their home is.”

“That’s true,” Pip said with a nod. They looked up as Vincent made his way over slowly, keeping his eyes on the fairy as he did so.

“Jas says you’re a fairy,” Vincent said. His eyes narrowed as if he didn’t quite believe it himself.

“I am,” Pip confirmed and attempted a pleasant smile at the boy.

“They’ve been asking me about fairies since you moved in,” Penny said as she followed Vincent over to them.

“It’s the one thing Miss Penny doesn’t know about,” Vincent said, seemingly proud to have stumped their teacher.

Penny smiled sheepishly at Pip. “We didn’t even think they still existed,” she admitted.

“We like to keep to ourselves,” Pip said. “For obvious reasons.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” Penny said cheerfully. “I think the children could learn a lot from you.”

Pip raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Well,” Penny said, slightly hesitant. “Anything. No one knows a thing about fairies. It would be good for us to learn more about you.”

“Miss Penny says we can always learn something from other people and races,” Jas said happily. “Did you know there are Shadow People and Dwarves, too? They don’t like each other very much. But the dwarves were a highly advanced civilization a long time ago.” She turned to Penny with a smile.

“Sounds like you’re learning a lot,” Pip said.

“I like to learn,” Jas said. “Vincent doesn’t.”

Vincent clearly had a hard time keeping focused. Even as they spoke, his attention had wandered as he began to chase a dragonfly around. He looked up quickly when he heard his name and the dragonfly escaped high into the trees.

“You’ll have to teach us about fairies sometime,” Penny suggested, clearly eager to learn more herself.

Pip was hesitant, however. “Uh, yeah, maybe,” they said with a shrug.

Jas jumped excitedly at the idea. “Can Pip teach us tomorrow?” She turned to Pip with an excited grin.

“That’s up to Pip,” Penny said. She met Pip’s gaze. “But, if Pip doesn’t want to be bothered -”

“No,” Pip said quickly, shaking their head. “No. I - I don’t mind.” Pip couldn’t bring themselves to disappoint Jas, if they were being honest. The children were genuinely curious, and they weren’t nearly as judgmental as the adults tended to be. Though, even in Penny’s presence, Pip didn’t feel as anxious as they usually did. Penny, too, seemed kind and genuine. Maybe the people in the valley weren’t as bad as Pip thought. At the very least, it would give Pip something to do as the crops were growing, and educating the people more about fairies could be a good thing. Maybe it would even help save the race.

“I usually teach them in the library in the mornings,” Penny said. “Why don’t you come by tomorrow morning?”

“Sure,” Pip said with a nod. They smiled down at Jas as she beamed with excitement. “See you tomorrow, then.”

*****

Pip made sure to get up earlier than usual in the morning. When the crops were watered and tended to, they cleaned up quickly and made their way into town and towards the library.

A few people milled about the town as Pip passed through. However, they didn’t recognize anyone outside. A young blonde girl walked by as Pip walked through the Town Square. She looked Pip up and down and scrunched her nose. There was an elderly woman tending to a garden who looked up and smiled as Pip passed, but Pip felt her eyes linger a moment longer. A guy tossing a football around paid no notice to Pip, and as Pip made their way down to the river to follow it to the library, they passed a younger blond guy on a skateboard. He paused after landing a trick to look up at Pip with a smile and a ‘hey.’ Otherwise, the walk to the library was uneventful, but nonetheless, Pip was glad to be hidden behind the library’s walls.

Penny was already there with Vincent and Jas. They sat together around a table in the middle of the library. Penny looked up and smiled as Pip entered and Jas waved excitedly as Pip made their way over to them.

“Finally,” Vincent said. “Miss Penny was about to make me read another book!”

Pip smiled and sat between Penny and Jas. Jas leaned over eagerly and looked up at Pip.

“Are you gonna tell us all about fairies today?”

“I guess so,” Pip said. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything,” Jas said with a grin.

“Well,” Pip started, unsure of exactly how to begin. “There are four different kinds of fairies.”

“Four?” Vincent repeated. He looked to Penny. “Is this gonna be on a test?”

Penny smiled. “No, Vincent. Just listen.”

“There are fairies like me,” Pip continued. “We look like regular people, but we have different colored skin and hair and wings.”

“Are they all purple like you?” Jas asked.

Pip shook their head. “No. Some are green and others are blue. And there are also Nymphs who are little tiny fairies that look like kids and they look like they never grow up.” Pip held out their hand. “Some are small enough to stand in your hand, and sometimes they can be a little bigger, like the size of your forearm. They don’t usually get any bigger than that.”

The children’s eyes widened as they listened. Even Penny leaned in to listen as Pip spoke.

“Pixies are just like Nymphs, except they age physically and will eventually look really old. Nymphs and Pixies can live to be hundreds of years old, sometimes in the thousands. Fairies like me can live to be a hundred years old, sometimes up to a hundred and fifty. And then there are Imps.”

“What are Imps?” Vincent asked.

“Imps are Nymphs and Pixies that are… bad. There aren’t a lot of them around, but sometimes Imps come about when the environment starts to decline. Imps are a result of bad things happening and they like to play pranks on people and are just a pain in the butt.”

Vincent and Jas giggled. “Are there any Imps around here?” Jas asked.

Pip hesitated. “No, not really. Not that I know of.”

“Where do they all live?” Vincent asked. “Are there any here?”

“Most fairies do live here, in the valley,” Pip said. “They live in large, dense forests and usually like to hide away from people. Fairies are born out of wildflowers, so it’s important for us, especially Nymphs and Pixies, to be far away from humans who like to pick the flowers which could be harmful to unborn fairies. Fairies are born when the flowers bloom, usually in the spring and summer, sometimes in the fall, and almost never in the winter.”

Their eyes widened once more. “Were you born out of a flower, too?” Jas asked.

“But, you’re so big,” Vincent said.

“There are really big flowers for fairies like me,” Pip said. “We look like human babies when we’re born.”

“Who takes care of all the baby fairies?” Jas asked.

“The Elders do,” Pip said. “There are different fairies that watch over the wild flowers until they blossom and it is their duty to raise and train the fairies. Sometimes, fairies who do not get raised and train properly turn into Imps. Nymphs and Pixies are at the highest risk of becoming Imps because they can be more wild.”

“Do you do magic?” Vincent asked. “Can you do magic now?”

“We can do some magic,” Pip said carefully. “Not a lot of magic, though. Mostly, it’s there for us to take care of nature and the valley. Fairies excel at taking care of plants and flowers and trees. We can use our magic on crops to make them grow bigger and better and we’re very good at making some potions. But we can’t do magic like witches and wizards can.”

“I knew it,” Vincent mumbled to himself. “The wizard is real. No one believed me.”

“Can we see the other fairies?” Jas asked.

Pip shook their head. “I don’t think so. Not right now, anyway.”

Jas slouched in her chair with a frown.

“You heard Pip,” Penny said softly. “They don’t like to be bothered by us. And we wouldn’t want to hurt any babies, right?”

Jas nodded. “Okay,” she said. She turned to Pip and smiled. “I’m glad we get to see you, at least.”

Penny turned to Pip and smiled. “I’m glad, too. Thanks for talking to us, Pip.”

“I want to see magic,” Vincent said, crossing his arms.

“Maybe next time I can show you something,” Pip said with a smile. “When my crops get bigger, you can come by and see something.”

Vincent grinned excitedly. “Promise?”

“I promise.”


End file.
